Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pacifier or nipple with sublingual member for use in connection with positioning a portion of a pacifier under a tongue or in a sublingual pocket of a user. The portion of the pacifier located under the tongue or in the sublingual pocket can be used for massaging the sublingual pocket, administering medicate to the user, or sensing the temperature of the user while using the pacifier which promotes positioning of a temperature sensor under the tongue or in the sublingual pocket.
Description of the Prior Art
Nipples and pacifiers with a sublingual member are desirable for use with infants, animals or non-cooperating users in that they would provide an easy and efficient system to massage the sublingual pocket, administer fluids or medicate to the user, and/or sense the body temperature of the user while using the present invention as a pacifier which promotes positioning of a temperature sensor under the tongue. The present invention avoids the difficulties and problems of a user discharging a standard pacifier or thermometer out of the mouth or repositioning the pacifier or thermometer away from the area under the tongue or out of the sublingual pocket.
The use of a combination pacifier and thermometer is known in the prior art. They all incorporate a temperature sensing element within a pacifier, but the prior art does not accurately sense body temperature because the pacifier configuration used, along with the location of the temperature sensing element, is positioned above the tongue or adjacent the roof of the mouth.
Oral thermometers known in the prior art typically position the temperature sensing element under the tongue, so as to obtain a more accurate body temperature reading. A disadvantage of oral thermometers is that when used with a baby, child or non-cooperating user, the user can easily reposition the oral thermometer out from under the tongue or the sublingual pocket, willingly or unwillingly. The repositioning of the oral thermometer can produce an incorrect body temperature reading or no reading at all since the temperature sensing element is not in the user's mouth. Physically positioning the oral thermometer under the tongue or in the mouth of the user can produce stress or trauma to the user, and even injure the mouth region.
Nipples and pacifiers known in the prior art all are designed to south the user while producing a sucking action when the pacifier is placed in the user's mouth. These known nipples and pacifiers are designed to promote the user to position the pacifier between the roof of the mouth and the roof of the tongue, thereby not addressing the sublingual pocket.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a pacifier with sublingual member that allows massaging the sublingual pocket, administering medicate to the user, and/or sensing the temperature of the user while using the pacifier which promotes positioning of a temperature sensor under the tongue or in the sublingual pocket.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved pacifier with a sublingual member that can be used for massaging the sublingual pocket, administering medicate to the user, and/or sensing the temperature of the user while using the pacifier which promotes positioning of a temperature sensor under the tongue or in the sublingual pocket. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the pacifier with sublingual member according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of massaging the sublingual pocket, administering medicate to the user, and/or sensing the temperature of the user while using the pacifier which promotes positioning of a temperature sensor under the tongue or in the sublingual pocket.